Ashen Dawn
by Littlewadles
Summary: Rated T for mild gore later in the story. Dawnkit, a cat of ThunderClan, has been taking under the wing by the ghost of her uncle, Ashfur. By trying to correct her uncles mistakes she embarks on a long journey and the prophecies ahead of her.


Dawnkit looked up from the tangled nest that she shared with her littermates, Thornkit, Brackenkit and Stonekit. She yawned and lifted up a leg to scratch behind her ear, slowly moving out of the bundles of gray fur. Her siblings were identical to her, all gray with darker flecks. Only her eyes were an unbreakable blue instead of green like the rest. Ferncloud, her mother, turned to look at her. "You know, Dawnkit, you look a lot like your uncle." Dawnkit giggled curiously, "Who was he?"

"An insane cat with a lust for revenge!" A voice spat. Dawnkit turned her head around to see Squirrelflight, who was curled around her newborn kittens, Tigerkit, a cat identical to Bramblestar, and Gingerkit, a she-cat who looked much like Squirrelflight's grandfather, Redtail. "Ashfur was a great tom!" Ferncloud snarled at Squirrelflight, "Don't you ever speak of my brother in such a way around me or my kits!"

"It's true, Ferncloud!" Squirrelflight retorted. "Keep it down, you'll disturb Millie's kits!" Jayfeather hissed in a whisper, the blind tom standing in the entrance of the nursery. Millie had given birth to her second litter, the rare occasion of five healthy kits, the sixth one tiny and struggling to survive. All were nearly identical to Graystripe, except for the sixth tiny one who was the only she-cat, was identical to Millie. With the upcoming leaf bare Dawnkit doubted it would survive.

"And my rest…" Sorreltail whispered from her nest in the corner, she had been moved to the nursery not too long ago from expecting kits once more. Daisy was snoozing away and ignoring the fighting, as well as Whitewing and her kits.

Jayfeather smelled the air and turned his thin head towards Dawnkit and her sleeping siblings. "You should get back to sleep. Judging by the fact that I hear owls, it must be moonhigh." Dawnkit nodded and curled back up, crashing back into a deep slumber.

Dawnkit immediately returned to her dream inside the clearing. A tall gray tom who looked a lot like her but bigger stared down at her, their blue eyes locked. He had an odd aura around him as if it was mixed, white and black mists swirled behind him as if they were fighting. "Who… Who are you?" Dawnkit mewed. "I am Ashfur, so called 'betrayer' of ThunderClan." He explained solemnly, "I bring dire news of which you would like to hear."

Dawnkit squeaked. "But would it concern me?" She stuttered, looking at the intimidating tom. Ashfur sighed, placing his tail tip on the young kits forehead. "It does, young one," He took a deep breath. "StarClan has given me a chance to be allowed among their ranks and saved from the Place of No Stars. They have made me your guide, your conscience and bringer of warnings." He waved a paw in the air, a small white stream of mist appeared, then what seamed to look like a cloudy and painted picture of him on a tree and Squirrelflight, A strange black she-cat with green eyes, Jayfeather and Lionblaze were crowded in the fire.

"I did something horrible for revenge and I am repenting for the deeds… Of all the deeds I have done to backstab Squirrelflight." Ashfur sighed, "I also have dark news…"

Dawnkit didn't know how to handle so much information at once, what could else could there be? She kept her mouth shut and listened to what Ashfur had to say.

"The Lion shall fight against the current of blood's river."

"So it's relating to me!" Dawnkit yelped, but before she could get and answer she was awoke with a jab to the side.

"You were fidgeting in your sleep." Thornkit laughed. "We thought the mouse you ate wasn't alive and it was trying to break out!" Brackenkit and Stonekit snickered in the background. "Very funny." Dawnkit said flatly, rising onto her feet and taking out clumps of dry moss from her fur. "It's raining outside." Squirrelflight sighed, staring out at the entrance.

A thunderclap boomed through the air, making Dawnkit flinch and take out a few hairs from her fur with the moss she was tugging at with her teeth, rain thudding on the ground outside. It was cold, more of freezing past the limits. "Kits and queens, huddle to keep warm," Bramblestar instructed as he quickly poked his head inside the nursery. Dawnkit dragged herself into the group of she-cats and kittens, curling up between Spiderkit, a tom near apprenticeship, Creamkit, his brother. "Hi, Dawnkit." Spiderkit chimed with a purr, trying to seem seductive, obviously failing. Dawnkit sighed quietly, why was Spiderkit thinking about she-cats so early?

Dawnkit looked to the side, scooting away from the dark creamy tom slightly and closing her eyes, planning to sleep out the storm. She was still tired from her restless slumber and despite the pounding rain she found it easy to sleep.

When Dawnkit awoke it was sunhigh and the rain had cleared up. The den was still packed with the queens with newborn kits. She raised her speckled head, standing up to stretch her long legs. Millie was fast asleep, however Whitewing and Squirrelflight were sharing tongues while their newborns suckled.

Dawnkit strolled out of the nursery with hunger burning her body. Recently the kit had been weaned, thus she was now allowed to share food with the other kits. The sun beamed brightly above her and the remaining droplets of rain clung to the vines that grew against the high ledge. Cloudtail pushed his head through the thorn barrier as he returned from a patrol with a fat finch in his mouth. "Great hunting season for a Leaf-fall." She heard him meow to nobody in particular, Flamepaw, Berrynose and Graystripe following him.

Flamepaw was the kit of Sandstorm and Firestar, the most recent and final litter. He had two siblings, Flowerpaw, his identical sister, and Hollypaw, the clan's future medicine cat. It was a little unfair to Dawnkit how that went, Firestar's kin getting the spotlight of everything. She vowed to become special to the Clan instead of watching somebody like Lionblaze get the spotlight, the show-off.

"Hello, Dawnkit!" She heard Graystripe purr in greeting as he dropped a small mouse at in front of her. The kit hadn't noticed the deputy walk up at all in her train of thoughts. "You've grown overnight! I think you can manage to eat this whole mouse." He smiled and patted his paw on her head, making Dawnkit feel slightly embarrassed. She wasn't a newborn anymore, she didn't need to be treated like one! "Thanks, Graystripe." She managed to push out. Oh how she wished she could be an apprentice already!

She quickly scarfed down the mouse, licking her jaws. "Wait… What's that sound?" Dawnkit mewed, pricking her ears up to the sound of crackling and an odd tangy smell hitting her lungs.

"FIRE!"


End file.
